My Family and I could use some good thoughts and prayers sent our way

First off, my Mom made a huge batch of bread yesterday and she always waits till the loaves are well and truly cooled, then she puts them in heavy duty freezer bags and into the freezer. Well, where I have my laptop set up, I can see out into the Hallway and across to our pump room and where the Freezer is and that area is also the bottom of that staircase. I first heard this awful racket coming down the stairs, but then I saw two loaves go flying past. Which I wasn't worried about because sometimes if Mom's got a big load, she'll toss a couple down the stairs.

Sadly, she didn't do that w/the rest of the ones she had in her arms, she missed the last step and...

I *knew* when I flew out into in that Hallway last night and saw the position her left foot was in, that she'd more than likely broken it. Sure enough, not only is it broken, but broken in two places. She's been admitted to our little local and Rural hospital and is now waiting for a bed over in Sudbury. The doctor she's got, told her that after talking to the Chief of Ortho over there and him going over the X Rays, Mom's looking at a plate *and* screws.

They were hoping to get her over there tonight and then go to the OR tomorrow, but considering the state of that place over there *and* how long it took for them to get my Dad transferred over there in the Fall and...I hope I'm wrong about this, but I'm thinking more mid week till a bed opens up in that mess called Health Sciences North. If that!!

Now, all of this happened around 10-ish last night and at first she wasn't going to go into the Emerg at our little rural Hospital/Health Centre at that time of night. I tried to insist, but she said no, not at this time of night. That is until she tried to ice it and elevate it *and* the pain kicked in. That's when she, to my relief, said to call a neighbour of ours to see if he'd take her down.

Thank God for good people like this guy is. He's among a small number of people that I honestly don't know what we would have done w/out them the last few years. By the time he got up here, they headed off, got to the Hospital/Health Centre (About an hour away from us) into Emerg and then back up here....It was just about a quarter to two AM and yes, you read that right, by the time they got back. You see, while there is a ER doc on call and there, the X Ray tech's a different story and he told Mom to call him in and do the X Ray After Hours, the hospital has to pay him $500. W/the way things are financial wise these days and us a small rural place...No X Ray last night. He did put the ankle in one of those fiberglass braces to keep things immbolie and then wrapped all of that w/tensor bandages to get Mom home.

Now he told her to come back today, but what the plan was, was she was going to come along w/Dad for his Saturday Dialysis appt and get it looked at then. After the night we had last night, w/me getting her settled on the couch in the living room w/water and a sandwich and the ice pack, w/the walker Dad was given after *his* fall on US Election Night when he badly bruised his hip nearby for her to use to get to the bathroom...I finally stumbled into my bed here at just a little after 3am. However, I kept my room door open in order to hear her if she needed anything and whenever that walker hit the floor or I heard her little grunts of pain, I was up and at the foot of the stairs calling up to see if she was okay. That kept on till around 6 am when Dad got up and took over.

I managed to catch about an hour and a bit of sleep until I heard Dad and someone else's voice along w/Mom's trying to get her down the stairs. That helpful neighbour? His wife called at 7am and told her to get ready because she'd be at the house in ten minutes to take Mom back down to find out if it was broken or not and...

That's where things stand right now. However, to add to the overall worry and concern in the house right now, we got a sad phone call from BC this afternoon. My Dad's last surviving sister, my Aunt Evelyn lost her battle w/lung cancer last night and her daughter/my cousin Karen was doing the rounds of the calls to all of us out here in Ontario. Now, there's only Dad and my Uncle Rodney left and, while Karen called us about a month ago to tell us Aunt Evelyn didn't have very long left and was going into Pallative Care, it's still a bit of a hit to the gut if that makes any sense.

Speaking of that....I hope this made sense, as I'm *really* tired. I caught a nap this afternoon, but it really didn't help that much. Then w/Dad's Dementia issues...I think he asked me close to 10 or 15 times tonight if Mom was in Little Current or Sudbury and when she'd called here twice tonight, just to check in and to tell me what to pull together into a bag for her, he asked her about five times both times if she was coming home tomorrow and at least three where she was calling from.

I never did realize just how tiring that can be. Not to mention soul shattering when I think back to last Spring and just how far he's slipped since then...It just tears me into pieces.

Anyway...As I said, I am *tired*, but wanted to get this off before I crash. Dad does have Dialysis tomorrow and other Family Friends of ours will be taking him there and back. Inbetween however, they're heading to the town that's between us and Sudbury to do some errands/grocery shopping and I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to tag along. At the very least to pick up some odds and ends I know we need. However, w/my own health issues, that all depends on what the Morning brings, but hopefully I'll be able to go along.

Anyway...As I said to start off...What a 24hrs we've had!! So could everyone here please keep my Mom and all of us in your thoughts and prayers. Not only badly needed, but also gratefully appreciated too.

You've got some from here <<<<<AragornElessar>>> And your poor mom -- I can't believe they sent her home in that condition. I hope that the hospital slot she needs in Sudbury comes open quickly, and that surgery isn't delayed any longer.

((((ArargonElessar)))) What a nightmare! You must feel really exhausted. Here is some positive energy and prayers your way. I hope things get better for you and your family. I really hope your mom's foot gets the attention she needs very soon.

Mom's over in Sudbury and had her Surgery earlier tonight. Everything went well and when my sister left her, the only thing she was wanting was water, ice chips or both because of how thirsty she was. One thing that both my sister and I are puzzled over is the nurse she had on the floor this afternoon was asking her how she got what she called fracture blisters. Of course Mom didn't have any idea of how they formed, but I think I might know.

When she was put into that so called cast the other night, just before I came down here to try and get some sleep, she'd taken off the tensor bandages and was rubbing her calf because of how bad it was cramping. That's when I noticed something odd. That brace, cast, whatever thing? There was no padding of any kind lining the inside of it. Now considering she was putting weight on it because she assumed she could, I'm wondering if that ended up w/the thing rubbing her skin in spots and in turn...She's got these blisters to contend w/now too.

I've had my fair share of Orthopedic Adventures and will in the future too. I have *never* been put into any kind of a cast w/out some sort of padding inside of it to protect my skin and whatever else the cast is supporting the repair of. So combine that w/all else happened the other night and...The joys of being sick in Ontario these days I'm afraid.

Anyway, that's the latest and Thank God that much is over and done w/and she's doing okay. What later tomorrow will bring, I'll deal w/then. At least my Aunt, her Grandchildren/my Cousins and Neighbours of ours who have helped out in the past will be looking after our Sugar Bush and doing a firing to at least deal w/the sap Mom had already gathered and whatever they'll find tomorrow in the buckets. That's one thing at least we don't have to worry about.

Now to convince Mom that yes, we really, truly, *really* do need help here and Home Care to come in....That's a battle my Sister and I have to get ready for next. We were trying to plan when she called tonight, but w/so much having been cut back and being in the middle of nowhere, plus trying to get my Sister to understand there are no Social Workers here anymore. They only come if they have to come and even then they might not show up, so....Yeah.

At least the surgery's over and done w/.

Thanks Everyone for the prayers and messages of Support. As I said yesterday, I really do appreciate it and please keep them coming.

Saying a prayer for all of you. I don't know if this helps. And I realize that my son was a child and your mom is not. But, my son got "hooked" playing hockey, when he was 9. Broke his ankle through the growth plate. They had to put screws in. He was in a cast and on crutches for a few weeks, but he had/has no problems, what so ever, with it. He's now 26. I hope your Mom fares as well.

She's still over in Sudbury, but hoping to get as far as the Health Centre here tomorrow. Of course, that all depends on if a bed opens up, but when we talked to her tonight she sounded pretty upbeat and chipper. Also she says she's not in much pain, but as I and my sister and our cousin who is a Nurse and the Nurses over there keep telling her, the reason for that is because they're keeping ahead of it w/the pain meds *and* that she's not really been up on it since Thursday morning when she went back to Emerg. Once that all either stops happening or she gets her first visit by the Physio, that's going to change big time!!

As far as Home Care goes...My sister and I were going to chat about that one again today after she'd gotten back from visiting Mom, but she never called. Which considering how easily Dad's confused these days, we can't wait to get the ball rolling on this and depend on Mom to do it, because we both know if it was up to her, it wouldn't *be* happening.

As I said to my sister yesterday, after the last few days w/Dad and it just being the two of us, I honestly don't know how a cousin of ours does it day in and day out w/her son. Jonathan was born w/water on the brain, but that was the mid 70's and what's available these days wasn't then and combine the various blocked shunts, infections of the things *and* two strokes, he's got the body of someone in their early 30's, but the mind of a three year old. If that. He also repeats a *lot*.

I've always respected Joanne, but after having to look after Dad the last few days w/out Mom covering for him as she does and...That respect's just gone sky high. I mean...We'd called Mom, talked to her and about fifteen minutes after we'd called, he asked me if we'd called her yet. For the second straight Sunday, I had to stop him from going out to get our mail more than once. Then twice while talking to Mom tonight, he asked her if they knew what was wrong and if it could be fixed. Not to mention I'll ask him if he's hungry, he'll tell me he'd already eaten, but has he? That after me having afternoon naps the last two days, so...did he really have something to eat and if so, then what?

So...Does that sound to any of you like everything is fine around here and no help is needed at all?

She's been so exhausted for the last two years really trying to keep appearances looking like everything's okay and trying to keep everything going, I knew *something* was bound to give health wise w/her. Considering how sky high her Blood Pressure's been, and of course she doesn't need to go in and make sure her BP meds need to be upped a bit due to that, I was thinking more along the lines of her having a stroke or heart attack.

So considering that, this could have been far worse, but OTOH....

And on that note...It's bedtime. Hopefully I get far more sleep than I did last night. The second I put my head on the pillow, I was wide awake for some reason. Then after 5am, the little sleep I got was broken by me waking up every hour on the hour until I decided to get up around 8-ish. So I *really* hope I get some decent sleep tonight.

Thank you all so much for all of the prayers and good thoughts being sent our way. Keep them coming and Thank You again.

Is your mom's foot in a cast now? Can she move her ankle or not? If not, make sure she was/is given thrombosis prevention for as long as she cannot move one joint! My doctor forgot when I broke my foot and I ended up with a thrombosis. That's when I learnt that (in Germany) the medical "law" says that as soon as one joint is immobile, a certain type of blood thinner has to be given.

One thing that both my sister and I are puzzled over is the nurse she had on the floor this afternoon was asking her how she got what she called fracture blisters. Of course Mom didn't have any idea of how they formed, but I think I might know.

Click to expand...

Fracture blisters form b/c of swelling in the soft tissue underneath the skin following a fracture. The broken bone tears the soft tissue, which leads to swelling. I think I read that they occur in 40% of leg and ankle fractures - I'm one of those and the splint they put on in the ER had plenty of cotton padding under the bandage.